Simpson makes Wartburg face its elimination

Taylor Nelson has completed
more than 60 percent of his passes in each of the past six
games.
Simpson athletics photo

Simpson's overtime upset win at then-19th ranked Wartburg was in
your face, well, at least in the mug of Brenton Minish.

Minish blocked an extra point in the extra session to give the
Storm a 38-37 win to spoil the Knights homecoming and crippling
Wartburg's chances for a playoff berth and a IIAC crown.

"We put Taylor Rogers in to get a middle jump," a jubilant
Simpson coach Jim Glogowski said. "With the push, the kick hit
Minish in the face with it. It wasn't a very clean block. It was a
great push. The ball was a little bit low and hit (Minish) in the
face."

The Storm scored first in the overtime as Taylor Nelson hooked
up with Rogers for the second straight 10-yard touchdown pass to
give Simpson a 38-31 lead. Nelson completed 38 of 59 passes for 358
yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Wartburg came right back to score with a 4-yard touchdown by
Reese Thompson, but what hampered them all day was the lack to make
extra points. Wartburg was 2-of-5 on extra points and couldn't
convert the final one.

The Storm came back from a 31-14 deficit to start the fourth
quarter and sent the game in overtime with Nelson hooking up with
Rogers from 10 yards out with 11 seconds remaining in
regulation.

"I can't say enough how proud I am of my kids for not quitting,"
Glogowski said. "This game gives you a lot of confidence that you
can come out of a lot of bad situations if you just keep sticking
with it."

The win erased many years of frustration for the Storm as the
win over the Knights was the first since 1997. The win put the
Storm at 3-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference -- a game back of
tri-leaders Dubuque, Central and Coe. Wartburg is now 3-2 in the
league.

"That was exciting," Glogowski said about the drought against
the Knights. "It's been awhile since we've been able to do that.
We're building the program in a positive direction."

Big conference matchups ahead

A big showdown for the MIAC awaits as third-ranked St. Thomas
travels to Bethel to play the tenth-ranked Royals. Last season, the
Tommies topped the Royals 10-6 in the regular season on the way to
winning the conference title. Bethel got its revenge in the
playoffs by winning 12-7 in the quarterfinals.

"This is two teams that I don't think are particulary fond of
one other," Bethel coach Steve Johnson said. "The last two games
were incredibly physical. The Tommies have earned where where they
at. We're going to prepare that we're going to do every week. Not
everybody gets to play in a championship game and we get to."

St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso knows the ramifications of this
game as well.

"We're extremely excited for this game," he said. "We circle it
on our calendars. This is by far one of our favorite games to
play."

This matchup consists of balance from St. Thomas as opposed to
grind-it-out football by Bethel. The Royals have rushed for 1,720
rushing yards as opposed to 812 yards through the air. Running back
Brandon Marquardt has rushed for 597 yards, quarterback Josh Aakre
adds 530 yards and Jesse Phenow contributes 483 yards.

"They run the ball, make no bones about it," Caruso said. "They
don't try to hide it, they're going to put their nose down and run
the football. Everybody knows what they're going to do. They've got
a three-headed monster, you've got your hands full."

The Tommies on the other hand, are just about even when it comes
to running or throwing the football. St. Thomas has 1,658 passing
yards and 1,443 rushing yards. Tommies quarterback Dakota Tracy has
thrown for 1,373 yards and 13 touchdowns with Fritz Waldvogel
catching 37 passes for 651 yards and nine touchdowns. Colin Tobin
is the leading rusher with 655 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"They've got a great balance," Johnson said. "They kind of
always have pressure on you. They really run the ball well and have
a good passing game. They're probably a little more balanced, kind
of prone to have a big play. If we can play our tempo, we're in
great shape. If we give up big plays, we're not going to be as
good."

With an earlier season loss to St. Olaf, the Royals have to view
this game as a must-win. Not only for a chance to win the MIAC, but
for their playoff hopes as well.

"We try not to be full of bull, every single game is a big
deal," Johnson said. "(This one) is really big because we lost
earlier."

And big for the Tommies of course as well. St. Thomas puts its
16-game MIAC regular season streak on the line.

"If you want to go where you want to go, to play some of those
games on home turf come playoff time, this another reason this is a
bigger game than normal," Caruso said.

Titans host top-ranked Whitewater

The WIAC conference race could very well come down to Saturday's
matchup between two-time defending national champion UW-Whitewater
and host UW-Oshkosh, currently ranked 20th.

Both teams are currently 3-0 in the WIAC, but recent history
heavily favors the Warhawks. Whitewater has won 20 straight WIAC
games and 36 overall. Oshkosh is looking for its first winning
season since 2007. Over the last five years, the Warhawks have
outscored the Titans 175-48. The Titans last beat the Warhawks in
2002.

"It's a big challenge, they have a lot of talent," UW-Oshkosh
coach Pat Cerroni said.

That being said, Cerroni is focusing on his team -- not the
Warhawks.

"We're just trying to win a game, not only this week, but every
week," Cerroni said. "We worry about us that's it. We don't care
about anyone else."

The Titans have won four straight since falling to second-ranked
and perennial power Mt. Union 41-17. Among the Titans wins, was one
over Central, a storied Division III power, 31-28.

"We were hoping to go 1-1 against those two and we did," Cerroni
said.

The two top offenses in the WIAC will go to battle.
Whitewater's Levell Coppage leads the conference with 725 yards and
12 touchdowns. He needs 185 yards to become the WIAC's all-time
leading rusher. The Warhawks are balanced as Whitewater quarterback
Matt Blanchard has thrown for 1,400 passing yards, 12 touchdowns
and only two interceptions. Defensively, the Warhawks allow 11
points per game and 67 yards on the ground.

"I attribute it to our assistant coaches and our senior
leadership," Warhawks coach Lance Leipold said. "The seniors
understood for us to maintain what we're doing they have to have
the same intensity and same preparation."

Leipold isn't shocked by the rise of the Titans this season.

"Pat has been waiting for this for awhile," Leipold said. "I
don't think it's overly surprising and I think it's going to be a
big challenge."

For the Titans, junior quarterback Nate Wara has been a key cog
as he has 954 passing yards and 457 rushing yards. Wara has nine
touchdowns through the air and three on the ground, though he left
the game early against Platteville on Saturday with an injury and
his status for Saturday is uncertain. Justin Budiac has also been a
force on the ground as he has rushed for seven touchdowns during
the Titans four-game win streak.

And now, the Titans will see if they can shock the Division III
landscape and be in the drivers seat for a playoff run and WIAC
title.

"We've been excited since Sunday to try to put a game plan
together and have the best success against them," Cerroni said.

70 - Points Central put up in a thrashing of
Loras Saturday afternoon. The win puts the Dutch in a three-way tie
in the IIAC. It was the most points Central has scored since a 73-7
victory at William Penn in 2000.